college the nightmare after christmas. a massive storm sideswipes most of maryland and just about every major city to our north. the effects are still being felt across the country. and jennifer franciotti. thankfully, the storm is hundreds of miles away but the heavy snow and gusty winds that let loose on much of the northeast are still at this hour causing problems in the baltimore area. most notably when it comes to travel. like cancellations and airport closures elsewhere have people still stuck here or stranded waiting to get back here. george lettis has the very latest now on what travelers at bwi marshall are dealing with. >> the situation here and at airports up and down the northeast are beginning to get back to normal. as you said, that weekend blizzard and the winds that are still with us are making travel troublesome.

the majority of passengers at bwi marshall airport monday night were getting where they needed to go, but if their travel plans included anything northeast of maryland, it was most likely a no go, thanks to the lingering effects of the weekend blizzard that shut down airports and flights from philadelphia to boston. >> we are kind of stuck here from baltimore. >> james and rebecca had directing -- had their connecting flight to new york canceled. the voyages celebrate their one- year anniversary watching some broadway -- they wanted to celebrate their one-year anniversary watching some broadway shows. the three big airports in new york finally open at 6:00 p.m. gavin roberts and family are trying to get back to los angeles. they have been stuck at bwi marshall since 10:00 a.m.

they are connecting flight to boston was canceled and every other flight out there is booked four days. >> we are exhausted and just worn out. >> roberts flight was diverted after seconds from touching down in philadelphia, but the pilot pulled up because winds made a landing too dangerous. >> we are stuck unless we want to wait around until tomorrow and they will fly as to providence, rhode island, and back to philadelphia. we are on our own. >> matt is back home. he was able to get a flight out of boston's logan airport. >> hopefully this they will not last too much longer. >> tonight we are learning that many airlines are waiting defeat they normally charge people to make changes to their reservations. contact your carrier to see if they are being naughty or nice with that fee. >> no fun to get stuck, and

don't forget, if you are planning on traveling soon are waiting for someone to get home, you can check the status of flights in and out of bwi thurgood marshall on the travel page of our website, wbaltv.com. the travel mess has not been limited those blind and not as limited to holiday -- not limited to those flying and not limited to those traveling as well. there were apparently no hotel rooms available in buffalo, so the team had to fly on to rochester. at least the patriots got to play their game. the storm caused yesterday's match between the philadelphia eagles and the minnesota vikings to be postponed. the teams were slated to play last night in philadelphia. crews spent last night and today clearing away that snow. it will be able to watch the

eagles and vikings tomorrow night right here on wbal-tv 11 beginning at 8:00. by the way, it will be the first nfl game played on a tuesday night since 1946. it seems a blizzard bearing three of the country's largest metro areas on three of the busy shopping ninth of the year did little to keep shoppers indoors. >> it has been a huge holiday sales season, and retailers are looking to end 2010 in the black. the white out on the east coast is not helping, but not even old man winter can stop a die-hard shopper. >> of the belief it seems a blizzard will not have a tragic effect on the retail industry -- ultimately it seems the blizzard will not have a drastic effect on the retail industry. >> bargain hunters are back.

though one-third of gives may be going back for refund or exchange, stores are expecting to cash in on gift cards. the biggest boom this year was online, where sales jumped 15%. >> people are willing to put more gives under those trees. >> cars were back on the wish list, and so were pickup trucks, which sends a hopeful message. >> the economy is starting to recover. small businesses are back, and there is a sense with the consumer that things are getting better. >> u.s. retailers ending the year with a bang and some serious bargains. brian moore, wbal-tv 11 news. >> official estimates will not be out until late next week, but already the national retail federation has had to raise its sales predictions.

>> blame the blizzard, stocks lost to start the last week of the year. the dow finished up less than one point. could $5 a gallon gas be in our future? some say yes. the average for a gallon of regular across the country is already over $3, which is not been seen since 2008. saysresident of shell aloil $5 a gallon can be here in our future. he doubts we will see it as early as 2012. in other news tonight, an armored truck driver is dropped, and police need your help in finding the person they say did it. the driver was picking up a deposit from a giant grocery store in ellicott city shortly before 1:00 this afternoon. as a return to his truck --

return to his truck, police say an armed man approached him and stole the deposit. >> alone armed gunman approached, took the deposit, and fled. >> the suspect was last seen in a white nissan sentra. the truck was later found in a nearby neighborhood. a $5,000 reward is up being offered for information leading to an arrest. in anne arundel county tonight, police are investing in -- investigating a robbery of two elderly people. the latest happened on christmas day. one arrest has been made, but the investigation continues. barry simms has the latest. >> after enjoying a christmas meal at the rose restaurant in brooklyn park, to senior citizens became the victims of an armed robber. >> there were two elderly females exiting the restaurant. one was in a wheelchair being pushed, and the other had to

purses in her possession. they were accosted by a male suspect to approach with a claw hammer. >> c michaelarotenuto was arrested -- michael carotenuto was arrested not far from the restaurant. no one answered the door when we went to the home. neighbors say they do not know him. he is charged with armed robbery, motor vehicle theft, and assault. investigators are trying to determine if the december 25 purse snatching is connected to another incident days earlier. an 87-year-old woman was leaving a hallmark store wednesday when a man offered to assist her. he was able to force his way through -- into her vehicle for the passenger side and make off with her purse. it is unclear if the two incidents are connected, but we

will take our time to look into it. >> money had been stolen from the purse which was located across from the shopping center. >> it does appear that they were taking a bandage of the situation. as always, -- they were taking advantage of the situation. keep your cellphone handy, park in well lit areas. if you see something of a suspicious nature, do not hesitate to contact the police. tenuto is being held at the anne arundel county detention center. >> on christmas eve, 19-year-old elisabeth and crashed into a tree and died. police believe distracted driving was to blame, along with speeding and alcohol. tonight, friends and loved ones gathered for a candlelight vigil in her memory. a tragic end to the holidays for another maryland family after

their christmas tree sparked a fire that gutted their home. investigators say the owners used real, burning candles on their live christmas tree. four people did manage to get out safely. firefighters estimate more than $1 million in damage. they add that people should never, ever use lighted candles on their christmas tree. which man in which woman is considered the most admired as 2010 winds down? plus, the coolest vacation destination is unveiled, but you have to move fast. we will tell you why, next. as we began our year in review, first up, some of the most memorable pictures of 2010, including this daring rescue. all that ahead as well as the aftermath of this week's storm. >> we have a nice warm up in the seven-day forecast as we head toward new year's eve, but it is windy and cold tonight. temperatures are in the low of

30's, when still gusting at close to 35. stay tuned, the weather is next. ♪ stinky ♪ hefty ♪ stinky ♪ hefty ♪ stinky, stinky ♪ hefty, hefty, hefty [ announcer ] hefty bags with unscented odor block technology... help neutralize odors and stop the stinkies. ♪ stinky, stinky, stinky ♪ hefty, hefty, hefty

>> for the third year, president barack obama has topped the usa today gallup poll of the most admired men. secretary of state hillary clinton took the top of the women's list for 2010. it was her ninth straight year. she was followed by sarah palin, oprah winfrey, and michelle obama. president george w. bush and bill clinton followed behind obama, as did nelson mandela. with just four days left in 2010, we will be taking the next few nights to look back at the year that was, from disasters to triumphs. we will cover it all, and it begins tonight with the most memorable images of 2010. >> the year began with these powerful and heart wrenching images. a catastrophic earthquake leveled the capital city of haiti. amidst the death and destruction, survivors were pulled from the rubble. one man, buried alive for nearly

four weeks. back in the u.s., extreme weather made headlines. >> we just found someone clinging onto a tree here. >> a dramatic rescue in oklahoma. this teenage girl trapped in raging floodwaters desperately held onto a tree. rescuers were able to save her. watch this. the roof of the metrodome in minneapolis collapsed, the weight of heavy snow too much for the inflatable route to handle. the vikings football team was forced to play elsewhere. it looked like something out of the movies. cameras roll as a tornado hit a minnesota farm, sending debris flying everywhere. luckily, no one was hurt. these animals were among the casualties of the bp oil disaster. precious wildlife, still alive but completely covered in oil. the lucky ones were rehab and released back into the wild. >> that is just incredible

feeling, the last one. >> here is an unbelievable the video. a gunman took a florida school board meeting hostage. these board members ducked for cover as he fired off shots but miss. one woman fought back. she was paired. the man turned the gun on himself after being shot by a security guard -- she was scared. a gas fuel explosion in california killed eight people and destroyed dozens of homes, a neighborhood reduced to a pile of ash. a helicopter took a nosedive. three nevada firefighters and the pilot on a rescue mission needed to be rescued themselves. amazingly, they all survived. another story of survival, 33 chilean miners trapped for 69 days emerged from the ground, one by one. their heartfelt reunion is

captivated the world. i am samantha hayes, reporting. >> we will continue our look back at 2010 throughout the week, including the year in hollywood, disasters that struck our nation, those we have lost over the past year, and the rise of social media. that is every night this week here on wbal-tv 11 news. we have rounded up the best stories from you, your best stories and videos from the year are all on wbaltv.com. before we get to 2011, much of the northeastern united states is still digging out. the storm slammed into boston, new york, and philadelphia. neighboring new jersey got it much worse. it is still under a state of emergency to died after 29 inches fell. hundreds ofccidents in the garden state are being blamed on the snow. things got progressively worse the farther north you went.

new york city mayor michael bloomberg pleaded with new yorkers to not drive unless absolutely necessary. during the height of the storm, snow was falling at the rate of two to 3 inches an hour. in new england, shovels and snow blowers are still getting quite a workout. it is not all work in the boston suburbs. many took the opportunity to enjoy the holiday storms. >> it was an incredible storm. barometric pressure was equal to a category 2 hurricane. it produced wind gusts close to 80 miles an hour along with all that snow. we have had plenty of wind gusts around here, over 40 miles an hour today. the big storm is moving away to the northeast. we have high pressure coming in from the west. in between, the pressure gradient is really tight and the air is funneling down between those two systems into the mid atlantic region. it is dying down a little bit

tonight. it is still breezy or wendy if you have to step out. -- breezy or windy if you have to step out. with winds like that, you have to calculate some wind chills. it will be really cold when you wake up in the morning as far as the wind chills are concerned. when jill at the airport is 19. -- wind chill at the airport is 19. by the time you wake up in the morning on tuesday, it will likely be in the single digits or perhaps even below zero, so be prepared for that when you step out in the morning. 30 at the airport is the actual temperature. it is 29 and york, pennsylvania. -- 29 in new york, pennsylvania. it will still be breezy as we head into tomorrow morning. during the day tomorrow, the

storm pulls away even further, but we will still be under its influence, so to speak. we will see plenty of sunshine and it will start to warm up a little bit. the warming trend will be reflected in our seven-day forecast. by the time we head towards new year's, it will get down to maybe 15 degrees above average. we have not said that for a long, long time. tomorrow, breezy, chilly, and northwest wind at 10-20. the air time is 43, so still below average tomorrow. it will change as we head toward the end of the week. we'll take it up to 44 degrees on wednesday, 50 on thursday, 55 on friday. new year's eve is going to be nice and mild. after the december we have had, that is a little bit of a surprise. new year's day, a chance for some rain showers late in the afternoon, a high near 54. on sunday there could be a little bit of rain in the

morning and it will turn cooler, back into the 40's. we expect high temperatures back closer to average on monday with a high near 42. >> if you are looking for a nice place to chill out on your next vacation, we have a spot for you. it is a hotel in southern romania and is made entirely of ice. 14 bedrooms are available if you think you can handle all that cold. you'll have to act fast, because the entire hotel will be out of business, melted in about three months. >> everyone in the nfl has to play with pain, but the effort put forth by one injured reagan in yesterday's playoff clinching win will flat out amaze you -- by one injured raven in yesterday's playoff will amaze you. >> the maryland lottery, let

yourself play. >> tonight's jackpot has an estimated annuity of $550,000. our numbers for this monday are 30-36-39-10-40-35. if no one matches all six numbers on one line of a ticket, the jackpot climbs to $575,000. the next drawing is thursday night at 11:22 here on wbal-tv 11. the maryland lottery, let your

>> now, elevens boards with

gerry sandusky. >> since the reagan still have a chance at the playoffs, harbaugh made it clear that he plans to go full tilt against the bengals, instead of resting veterans for the postseason. ravens have tightened up their defense and it shone again stop the run when they want to. by making running a more of a priority, they can make joe flacco and extremely effective passer. the suns for a team that will go to the playoffs. the bengals might give the ravens home field advantage in the playoffs or might not, depending on how the ravens do and how the steelers do. john harbaugh wants another fallout effort this week so the ravens can carry full momentum into the postseason. >> you have to get yourself into position to win first. let's try to get that done first, but we are in position to do it again this year.

>> the ravens do unfortunately have to look for a new long snapper. warring cox suffered torn knee ligaments in the second quarter yesterday. he continued to play the rest of the game, and link but blown up stepping duty, but he will not be able to play the rest of the season. now the ravens will invite several veterans to -- to camp to borrow -- to camp tomorrow to try out. the morton state bears find themselves in a run that features three top 20 opponents. after facing syracuse last week, they face look will on the road tonight.

-- they face louisville on the road to night. it set the tone that louisville would run pretty much throughout the ballgame. the same combination, smith on the kick out, his fifth three- pointer on the first tap that them wide open. 104-74, and it does not give any easier for the bears. the eagles and the vikings will wait to tomorrow night to play sunday night football on tuesday night because of that snow. the mayor of philadelphia has been met with criticism for asking the league to postpone the game in the first place. >> this is part of what has happened in this country. i think in most places in the world, people have sneered at this. this is football.

i play football. i've played in the snow. it is a game that should be played in all weather conditions. the fans can make judgments themselves. they can decide if they go to the game, they will drive, a little more slowly. or they can take broad street. broad street was fined last night. >> political figures probably should not spend too much time in sports. you do not expect a flyover to mean it the mascot flies over the state demand does not come back. in pregame ceremonies in a report louisiana, the birds were released to fly around the stadium and then returned to the tradetrader. the bird was later found in downtown freeport and reunited

with his trainer. how do you find a falcon in downtown shreveport? we don't know, because it remains a carefully guarded government secret. >> i am glad that found him. that would be awfully worried if they did not get him back. is there a finder's fee? >> tony is coming back with a look at our seven-day forecast when we come back.

>> it seemed like the wind was dying down a little bit out there. >> is going to be a lot nicer. now it is only gusting to 25. it is windy and cold tonight. wind chill tomorrow morning will be in single digits. 39 for a high temperature, and then the good stuff comes in. we'll keep the sunshine and lose the wind. 50 on thursday, 55 on new year's eve. maybe some rain on new year's day. the high will be near 54 degrees. once we get beyond tomorrow, that is about as good as it gets this time of year. >> we will take it. >> the tonight show with jay leno is next. we will see you back here tomorrow. good night. >> of breaking news and weather any time at wbaltv.com and stay

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